Old Man on a Bench
by Bensonbabe
Summary: Donna runs into an old man on a Bench. He's kinda odd. Post Journey's End.
1. Chapter 1

Donna waited at the shelter for her bus. On the bench at the end of the shelter, a little old man in a ratty wool coat and hat waited too. _He looks kinda dicey_. Donna kept her distance and shuddered a bit as she got on the bus. The little old man just sat there. She could see him through the window. He didn't move. _Is he dead?_ On reflex she shuddered again as the bus moved away without him. Even the pulling away of the bus went unnoticed by him. He just sat there.

oOi

The next day, Donna is running. Running to catch the bus. She makes it just in time. The doors close and a figure catches her eye at the benches outside. The old man. Sitting in the exact same place as the day before. _Not dead then_. But he still does not acknowledge that the bus is even there as it pulls away.

oOi

Coming home that evening, she looks intently for her stop. There's a figure where the old man is sitting. She gets off the bus and walks slowly towards him. It's him. The old man. Same position. Same wool coal as this morning. _Maybe he's dead this time._ She walks slowly towards him and sits on the bench next to his and feigns looking in her bag for something as she quickly scans to see if he is breathing. Should be easy, she can see her own breath in the cold air. A wisp of warm air comes from his mouth. _Alive. Definitely alive._ She catches him looking at her. She shudders for a brief second."Uh, hello," she says quickly to hide her agitation. He says nothing and watches her. It is too dark to see any expression on his face. She feels very self-conscious and shudders again. "G-Good night." As she turns to leave, the old man acknowledges her presence with the tip of his hat. She pauses a second in her tracks. Gramps does the same thing. She smiles and nods back. Donna walks down the sidewalk away from him. No shudder this time. No, this time she has a smile. Because she knows this old man is a kind soul.

oOi

Today he looks different. The old man sat in his usual spot on the bench and wore the same old coat, but she could tell something was different. She just couldn't decide what that was. She smiled and said, "Good morning." He looked up at her, nodded his head and smiled. She expected him to say something, but he was silent. The bus was a little late this morning, so she sat down next to him, opened up her bag, pulled out a scone and offered it to him. "Want one?" He looked at her for a second and took the scone. He nodded his thanks, tore a little chunk off and began to eat. Donna did the same with her own scone. They sat there and waited a few minutes until the bus finally came. Donna got up, waved goodbye and got on. He held up his half eaten scone and smiled goodbye. She smiled again. _The hat. That's it. That's what's different. He isn't wearing his hat today._

oOi oOi

Donna walked to the front of the bus in anticipation for her stop. Was he still there? Yes. Just like clockwork. This made her happy. Donna sat down next to him. "My name's Donna. What's yours?" He just smiled. "Not going to say, huh? You are a crafty old man, aren't you?"

He laughed.

She shuddered. No, it wasn't a shudder at all. More like a shock. A little shock of static electricity. He was an old man, but his laugh sounded more like it belonged to a much younger man. There was a youthful vitality to it. She did what she did best and laughed as heartily back. As the laughter died down, she took a quick breath and said, "Well, if you don't tell me, I'll just have to make one up. What shall I call you, then? Tootie Fruity? Bus Boy? No, that's not respectful enough. Bus Man? No..." She looked at him for suggestions. He just shook his head. "Smiley?" He considered it and then nodded his approval. "Smiley it is then." She grabbed her bag and stood up. "Well, Smiley, I gotta get home. See you in the morning?" He smiled and nodded.


	2. Chapter 2: Oi, Mother!

Donna put on her coat by the door and was in the process of wrapping her scarf around her neck when her mother, Sylvia came around the corner.

"Donna? Why aren't you taking the car?"  
"Don't feel like it."  
"You? Little Miss I-like-to-drive-everywhere-I-go doesn't feel like taking the car today? What's got into you?"

"Just don't feel like it, that's all."

Sylvia wasn't buying it."What are you doing instead? You can't afford a cab everyday and you wouldn't be walking all that way in those heels." She pauses for a moment then adds, "What's his name?"

"What do you mean?"  
"What's the name of the man you're meeting?"

"Who says I'm meeting a man?"  
"That big grin on your face that you go out the door with every morning. And as I remember, you used to leave at the last minute. Now you leave earlier. And you're dressing nicer."

"Mum, I work in an office. I always have to look nice. It's. My. Job."

"Like I said, you're dressing 'Nicer'. You only do 'Nicer' when there's a man involved."

Donna sighed heavily, grabbed her bag and opened the front door. "I don't have time for this. I'll see you when I get home." She was out the door before her mother could respond. She heard the door open behind her and waited for it. She knew some little quip was coming.

"Just as I thought. A man. There's no use trying to hide it, Madame. I'm your mother. I can read you like a book."

Donna cursed under her breath and kept on walking.


	3. Chapter 3: A Little Rain

Rain

 _Oi, Rain! Couldn't you have waited another ten minutes to ruin my morning? Why did I take my brelly out of my bag anyway? My hair is going to be all messed up by the time I get to the bus._

Splash!

"You have GOT to be kidding me!?" She stepped into what she thought was a shallow puddle only to find her foot buried in water up to her shin. She would have fallen flat onto her face if it hadn't been for the hand that grabbed her arm at the last second. She looked up and there was Smiley doing what he does best: smiling. The rain had stopped. But she could still hear thunder. She looked around and realized that it was indeed still raining; only Smiley was shielding her with his brelly.

"Come. Sit." He said as he helped her to the shelter at the bus stop. Donna was speechless. _He talks!? He walks_!? He looked so old and fragile when she first met him. She honestly thought he wasn't quite there, mentally. Someone's silly old man who got a little mad at times. Wandering off to who knows where with who knows whom. A gentle old soul who needed someone else to help him get back to where he belonged. Fragile? No she couldn't say that today, not after what he did to save her from face-planting herself in a filthy puddle. His grip was like steel. Not a grip from a fragile old man at all.

"Better?" He asked.  
"Yes. Thank you," she nodded.

She wanted to say more, but she was still reeling from realizing he could and **did** talk. (That and her teeth were chattering). He took off his coat and wrapped it around her. It was so unexpectedly warm she hardly noticed it barely covered her.

She sat there studying his face. His eyes were brown, but also troubled and tired. How could this man seem so old and fragile and yet so young and lighthearted at the same time? _Am I dreaming it, or does he actually look younger today? I could swear he had more wrinkles yesterday._

Screech!

The bus pulled up and he helped lift and guide her into it. She silently gave him back his coat and he gave her his brelly.

"Thank you again," she said.

"Yeah," he said as he winked and gave a little salute from his brow with his forefinger as the bus pulled away.


	4. Chapter 4: Oh, For The Love

"Why are you leaving this early?" asked Sylvia. 

"I have a meeting before work," Donna answered.

"Oh really? And what's his name?"

"Mum, it's just a department meeting to discuss Mary's surprise birthday".

She lied. She didn't like lying, but when it came to her mother, the lying just flowed naturally from her like water down a stream. But if she told her mother the truth, she wouldn't understand. She could picture the conversation in her mind:

"His name is Smiley."

"What kind of name is that? "

"One I gave him. He didn't tell me his so I made one up."

"What kind of man doesn't tell you his name? I'll tell you what kind- not the good kind."

"Mum he's just a harmless old man who sits at the bus stop every day. He's there every time I arrive and stays when I leave."

"Sounds a bit dodgy to me."

"Mum, it's not like that. He's not some dirty old man. He's sweet and kind."

"I still don't like it..."

Yes, she lied, because she didn't want to have that conversation. And for the record, she didn't want to have this one either...

"Mary's birthday huh? Do you have a gift for her?"

"We all pooled our money and Steve is picking it up before work. "

Well that was smooth. Steve was the doorman. He'd probably do something like that, if he didn't work the night shift and left as she got to work, but her mom didn't need to know that.

"What'd you get her?"

"Some kind of antique she pointed out to Steve last week."

See? The lies just kept coming out. She couldn't stop herself.

"Alright, if you say so."

But Donna could tell by the tone of her mother's voice that she still didn't believe her.

Donna grabbed her things and went out the front door. She looked at her watch for the time. Shoot, if she didn't hurry, she wouldn't have any time to chat with Smiley before the bus came.


	5. Chapter 5: Coffee

"Smiley! How are you today?"

"Very good."

"Well, that's nice then. "

He offered her a steaming cup of something.  
"What's this?"

"Coffee."  
"You must have read my mind. Thank you."  
"You're welcome." 

She sipped it in silence. It was heaven! _Where did he get this?!_ She looked for the logo on the cup. There wasn't one. _Did he make this?_

"This is lovely! Where did you get this?" 

"My own."

"That is so not fair. Ok, you are going to have to bring me one of these every day, or we can't be friends anymore. Seriously?! You've ruined all coffee for me now. I'm only going to crave **this** stuff. Skinny Bastard!"

He laughed again.

 _Wait. Did I just call him skinny? Well, look at that! He_ _ **is**_ _skinny. How come I didn't notice that before?_ She looked at him in awe for a moment. He squirmed a little and looked like he was about to leave. That made her even more curious because she had never seen him get on the bus or off it. _What is he doing here?_

"Can I ask you something?"  
"Go ahead."  
"Why are you at this bus stop every time I get here?"  
"Just waiting."  
"For the bus? Do you ever get on it?"  
"Not yet."

"Then why are you here every day?"  
"Just waiting."  
"Waiting for what?"  
"My friend."  
"Do they ever come?"  
"Not yet. "He hung his head a bit and avoided her gaze. She thought she may have touched on a painful subject, so she backed off and sipped her coffee. He pulled out a pen and fidgeted with it. He was lost in his thoughts. So much so that he didn't notice the bus when it came, nor when she said goodbye and got on it.


	6. Chapter 6: How Long!

Donna sat down next to Smiley on the bench after a long hard day at work. The wool coat was gone now. In its place was a long trench coat. _It's no wonder, with the weather getting warmer_. _He looks tired. That makes two of us._ "How long have you been waiting?"  
"Not long."  
"Not for me, you silly man. For your friend?"  
"Awhile."  
"That isn't an answer. Or the one I want. How long?"  
He paused. She wasn't going to budge. "Today?"  
"Yes, today."  
"A few...hours."  
"How long do you stay after I leave?"  
"Not long."  
"Not this again…. How long?"  
"Another hour, maybe."  
"Do you do this every day?"

He kept his silence and looked straight ahead.

"I think you do."

Again he answered her with silence.

"Why?"  
He started to answer, but struggled to find the right word. "Because...well...she's ..."  
"It's a she then?"  
"Yes, it is."  
"Because ….you love her?"  
"Ahh… well…" he sighed in relief and continued, "Yeah." At this he pulled out his pen from his coat pocket and played with it.  
"Ok. I get why you wait for her. But why do you wait so long?"  
"Never know when."  
"You never know when she's coming?"  
He nodded.  
"So you wait here for hours hoping it'll be today?"  
He nodded again.  
"Has she ever come?"  
"No, she hasn't."  
"How long have you been doing this?"  
"A few hours..."  
"No, that's not what I meant. How many days, weeks or months have you been doing this? Waiting for her to come?"  
"Ugh, little longer..."  
"Little longer? What does that..." Donna trailed off as the reality of what he was saying registered. "Years?! Are you telling me its years?"  
"Yeah. Some...years."  
"You have got to be kidding me! Years?" She paused a moment and then softened. "Oh honey, you need to move on. If she hasn't come yet, she's never going to."  
"No. She will."  
"I don't think so." She shook her head slowly, "I really don't."  
He smiled and absently tapped the pen in the palm of his hand. "Give her time."


	7. Chapter 7: Smiley's Friend

**Warning! Mild swearing.**

* * *

 _Who is this friend of Smiley's?_ Thought Donna when she got home. _And why isn't she coming to see him? How could anyone NOT like Smiley?_ He was so funny. And so very loyal. _I wish I had a friend like that. It's a good thing I don't know this woman or I would knock her head off when I met her!_ The more she thought about it, the madder she got.

Years?

Years!

Ughh, YEARS!

 _Who the hell waits around for years for their friend to show up?!_

 _And who the hell doesn't show up for a friend like that?!_

 _ **Ooooo.**_

She was so angry with this woman for abusing Smiley this way. What really made her mad was that this woman had somehow managed to earn the friendship and loyalty of Smiley in the first place. A man she had barely met. _None of my friends are like that._ _Hell, my own mother isn't even like that. I have no one that would do that for me._ She paused. _No. That's not true. I do know someone._

 _Gramps._

 _He'd do anything for me. And I'd do anything for him. Damn, I'd probably do anything for Mum too. Of course, if I was ever asked that I admitted such a thing, I would deny it._

But that's not even the issue. _More importantly, am_ **I** _like that with anyone other than family? Of all my friends, who would I wait years for? Nerice? Hell no._ She couldn't even wait 5 minutes for her as it was, let alone years. _Anyone one else?_ Donna thought long and hard over all of her friends. The trouble was that none of them were really that close. They were good friends, to be sure, but none worthy enough for Donna to wait years for.

Her anger flared again. _Seriously?!_ _I have no Best Mate?!_ _Damn that Smiley!_ How dare he show her what a Best Mate was. How dare he make her realize that she had no one like this in her own life! And HOW DARE HE FEEL THIS WAY FOR SOMEONE OTHER THAN HER!

 _ **Damnit!**_

How dare **she** be so possessive of **him**. He wasn't hers. He could and probably did have many friends. _Smiley has been a good friend to me. And I've just met him. He needs more from me than my petty jealousy._

 _Who am I jealous of here?_ _I am jealous of this woman friend of his that never comes. Never makes the time to appreciate him with her presence. He deserves more than that._

 _Tomorrow I'm going to show him what he deserves._


	8. Chapter 8: It's Complicated

Donna quietly sat down next to Smiley on the bench. She could tell he was lost in his thoughts. She was still processing her own, so she remained silent. They sat there for a while. It wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't awkward. It was rather nice. She felt like she was sitting "up the hill" with Gramps. _I feel safe here._

She bumped her shoulder into his. Smiley looked over at her and smiled.

"How much time are you willing to give this friend of yours?" Donna asked.  
"As much as she needs." Smiley answered. He stared off into space.  
"Where does she live?" she asked tentatively.  
"Not too far away."  
"Can't you go to her instead?"  
"She has to come to me."  
"But why?"

He said nothing. Just stared off into space again.

" I just don't want to see you get hurt." She explained.

"It's complicated." He exhaled a slow breath and continued, "When she's ready."  
"That may be a very long time."  
"Nah. She's going to come soon."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." He looked at her. He must have sensed her confusion because he paused and then added, "It's complicated."  
"How soon?"  
"Very soon."

Suddenly the air got a little thicker and the atmosphere got a little awkward between them.

Donna hesitated and asked, "What happens when she does come?"

"What do you mean?"

She chose her words carefully, "Will I ever see you again?"

He eyed her closely. Then his face broke into a smile. "Of Course."

Relief settled over her and she smiled back. But it was a half-hearted smile. Because try as she might, it pained her to see him so hopeful about his friend. She took a deep breath and willed herself to be more supportive.  
"Ok, Smiley. If I can't talk you out of it, then I'll wait with you. Well, not the whole time, mind. Just some of it. While I'm here waiting for work. Oh you know what I mean." She elbowed him in the rib and he smiled back from under his glasses. _When did he start wearing glasses?_


	9. Chapter 9: The Pen

Smiley.

There he was, sitting in his spot wearing the trench coat playing with his stupid pen.

Pen?

No, it was more like some gadgety thing than a pen. And it was whirring!

"What are you holding?" she asked. "Is that a pen? I've never heard a pen make noise before. Can I look at it?"

He hesitated. "I don't know if I should."

"I'm not going to take it from you. I just want to see it up close. Hold it up." She took a long hard look.  
"It reminds me of something I've seen before. On a TV show maybe? Something to do with Mars. I know! It's one of those Star Trek gizmos with the sound effects, isn't it? You're a geek, aren't you?! Got all the action figures and everything too, I'll bet. How many sounds does it do?"

"Just one...Well...Maybe two."  
"One or two!? Well that's kinda pointless isn't it? All that money for two sounds."  
"I made it myself."  
"Really? Saw it in some picture and made your own."  
"No. One of a kind. My own design."  
"Seriously?! And there aren't any more like this out there?"  
"Nope."  
"Then how come it looks familiar?"  
"I dunno." He paused. "You tell me..." He started to hand it to her.

Screech!

"Oi, there's my bus. I'll think about it and let you know." She paused. "Space Man."

Smiley's eyes widened. "What did you say?" He gazed at her intently.

"Space Man." Donna looked at him. "No, that can't be right. I don't think Space Man was even a show. Outer Limits, you think?"

"Closer."

"I'll figure it out." She said as she got on the bus.

An odd quirky smile took over his face as he said to himself, "I'm sure you will."

And the bus whisked her away.


	10. Chapter 10: Ah Hah!

Donna approached the bus stop from a different angle today. She had been out shopping and came up from behind the bus stop. She had a clear view of Smiley's back as he sat on the bench. He was talking to a woman seated next to him. Was that his friend? Did she finally come? It was hard to see what she looked like from this position. She watched them talk for a moment. She could tell by his body language that this woman was not the one he was waiting for. He wasn't turned into her. He was listening to her with his hands folded across his chest. A closed position. Protecting his heart, she guessed. The woman stood up, patted him on the shoulder and exited near the bin.

Smiley stood and stretched. He turned around and waved when he saw her. That's when she saw it: the pinstriped suit that matched his spikey hair.

What!?

Everything froze before her. She felt like she was in one of those movies where everything was still, except her. All she could hear was her own breathing and the beating of her heart. Her eyes locked onto Smiley. She eyed him closely. Brown spikey hair, Black rimmed glasses shielded his warm, penetrating, brown eyes. A blue, button-up shirt underneath a brown pinstriped suit, topped by a trench coat. A blue and purple tie hung loosely around his neck. And damn, was he tall! A long, skinny streak of nothing that was grounded by a pair of red trainers.

Her breath hitched in her throat. Something in her mind clicked into place and she knew who this man was. She knew EXACTLY who this man was!

Time ceased to stand still. She dropped her bag and ran towards him as she yelled, "Doctor!"

The biggest smile crossed his face. "Donna!"

He opened his arms. She flew into them and held him tight. She kept repeating his name over and over. He held her and didn't let go. He didn't say a word. He was trembling. He just nuzzled his face in her hair and cried. This touched her so deeply that she hugged him even tighter and cried with him. They remained there a few moments when she heard him speak for the first time. It was just a whisper, but she heard it loud and clear.

"You're here. You're finally here. You came!"

"Oi, Spaceman! You're the one who left me, remember?! I've been here the whole time!"

"But you weren't _**my**_ Donna. The one that knew me. The one that recognized me. The one that gives me hell and stops me from…"

"Oi, quit your yammering." Then she kissed him, hard. He was taken by surprise, but returned it with all his pent-up longing. When he surfaced again, he kissed her cheeks and her neck and said in a growl, "Don't ever leave me again. Please don't ever leave me."

"I'm here, Space Man. I'm not going anywhere."

Their lips met again. And it was a very long time before either came up for air. Indeed, neither one of them noticed when the bus arrived or even when it took away all the people from the bus stop around them.

The End.

* * *

 **It could have happened like that. But this is what really happened:**

* * *

She dropped her bag and ran towards him as she yelled, "Doctor!"

He opened his arms and waited for the 1.5783694 seconds it took her to get to him.

Slap!

The Doctor's hand flew to his cheek. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for taking away my memories of you. And this…" she grabbed both of his pinstripe lapels, drew him in and kissed him hard. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss with all his pent-up longing. When they separated, Donna continued. "And **that** was for bringing my memories back. And waiting on a bench by the bus for the last few years…..And…" she trailed off.

"And what?" he asked as he nuzzled her neck.

"And for everything….everything you are doing right now."

He pulled her in and kissed her again. Yes, his grip was like steel around her waist. But she did not mind at all. _He waited for_ _ **me**_ _for years!_ _ **I'm**_ _the friend he was so loyal to._ _ **I**_ _am his Best Mate!_

This brought her back to reality. She broke away and rested her forehead against his.

"You know what I said earlier?"

"When?"

"In that alley when I parked my car by the Tardis?"

"Mmm. Remind me."

"That part about not mating with you…."

"Yeah?"

"I lied, Spaceman! I lied."

"That makes two of us, Earth Girl!"

Their lips met again. And it was a very long time before either came up for air. Indeed, neither one of them noticed when the bus arrived or even when it took away all the people from the bus stop around them.

But the Doctor did notice one thing that Donna didn't. Something that would shock her socks off, if she'd known. Standing near the bin the entire time was a woman. A woman Donna knew all too well. One who nagged her about everything under the sun. One who loved her daughter more than she could ever say or show.

He waved a hand of sincere thanks to her as he kissed her daughter.

Sylvia raised her hand and waved back. She stood there a brief moment looking very smug and satisfied. Then without a word or any further fanfare, she turned and disappeared around the corner.

The End…..or The Beginning?….


End file.
